What did you get delivered today

Trialben said:
Connect battery on left then your 12v load on right with + on far right.. that's how I'm reading it.

Looms like it'll switch 240v as well as per the relay readout.

On extending them temp probes. I do I just use standard 12v wire I usually use audio jax as my plug in type gizmo.

I hope it works out for you Zambezi be confident you got this.
BANG! Oh no I don't got this Dough lol:p

Looks more compact than an STC1000 it's got a LCD display aye?
Click to expand...
Yep, got an LCD display. It's smaller than a match box ...

Both diagrams indicate 12 volt as input, although the heading of the 2nd says "different power".
Also on the first diagram, it's a bit unclear what connects to what input (crossing lines).

The first 2 inputs have a hand written + and - sign on them, so I'm tempted to go for the 2nd diagram...
Hope it doesn't go BOOM
 
Zambezi Special said:
Yep, got an LCD display. It's smaller than a match box ...

Both diagrams indicate 12 volt as input, although the heading of the 2nd says "different power".
Also on the first diagram, it's a bit unclear what connects to what input (crossing lines).

The first 2 inputs have a hand written + and - sign on them, so I'm tempted to go for the 2nd diagram...
Hope it doesn't go BOOM
Click to expand...

Did this come with a power supply or is the assumption that you will have a 12 volt source to connect it to?

Either way, think of it this way.... that the first diagram would turn on and off a 12volt DC fan powered by the same source as the controller when the temperature of X° is reached. The second diagram would turn on and off a fan powered by house current when the temperature of X° is reached.
 
Being a 12v system which I believe Zambezi is running on her solar fridge it'll be 12v.
That relay will switch the 12v and high voltage.

I do it with my glycol STC1000 it's a 12v STC1000 but it's got 240v 10Amp rated relays one of the relays switches the 12v glycol pump using supply for the STC and the Hot Relay switches the 240v 60watt heat belt no problems
 
Ben is correct.
It's a 12 volt system
(12 volt battery, 12 volt fridge, charge controller in between)
 
Donoroto said:
Saves me at least once every week.
Click to expand...
Got one just like it. Gotta love the dump feature for moving small amounts of dirt. If I gotta move more, I get out the LX2610SU. Could move nearly the whole 1/2 yard in one trip then. :cool: For brush and stuff, I built a wooden bed on an old boat trailer that my neighbor gave me when I first moved in here.
Zambezi Special said:
Yep, got an LCD display. It's smaller than a match box ...

Both diagrams indicate 12 volt as input, although the heading of the 2nd says "different power".
Also on the first diagram, it's a bit unclear what connects to what input (crossing lines).

The first 2 inputs have a hand written + and - sign on them, so I'm tempted to go for the 2nd diagram...
Hope it doesn't go BOOM
Click to expand...
First diagram is for powering the device and the load with the same supply. Second diagram is if the load needs to be isolated from the device power, and gives you a nice way to fuse the load separately. The DC rating for those contacts may not be nearly 7 amps as shown for 240VAC, so be careful if you use that to operate a 12VDC motor load, or anything that has a high reactance. It may not be able to interrupt the current because a high reactance will cause a voltage spike that will arc across the contacts of that itty bitty relay. Make sure you put a snubber of some sort across the relay output terminals, obviously rated for whatever voltage your load is.

BTW, I'm a retired electrical engineer with 40+ years in industrial services. I've seen a few small relays let the magic blue smoke out because of misapplication. AC powered devices all have the unique advantage that the voltage/current pass through 0 each cycle, and based on frequency. I'm guessing you have 240VAC, 50 Hz, where we typically see 110VAC 60Hz for home distribution. A relay rated for 10A at 240V will rarely work on DC loads at much lower voltages, depending on current. If you're below 10A, it MIGHT work. If not, I'd urge an interposing relay that can handle the DC current. Doesn't take much of a gap to isolate something but can take quite a big gap or some kind of suppression to interrupt it. The biggest thing is the contacts not only handling the current, but being able to interrupt it. I wouldn't put more than 2-3 amps at 12VDC on a relay rated for 240VAC/7A.
 
Thanks Road,
It does work although the temp readings fluctuate quite a bit, even when put in a glass of water. I had to adjust the temperature readings as the sensor was reading too hot.
The specs say it's a 20 amp device?
I connected according to diagram 1.
Are you saying I shouldn't use it?
 

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Zambezi Special said:
Thanks Road,
It does work although the temp readings fluctuate quite a bit, even when put in a glass of water. I had to adjust the temperature readings as the sensor was reading too hot.
The specs say it's a 20 amp device?
I connected according to diagram 1.
Are you saying I shouldn't use it?
Click to expand...

NO, not saying that at all. I just didn't see a DC rating on the relay in the photo of the controller. Can you post a pic of the nameplate on the load? If the cooler is rated at 20A continuous or less, that little relay should be sufficient. If it's higher, you may need a larger pilot relay to actually turn on the cooler. The problem with low voltage cooling/heating equipment is that it's usually pretty high current. Just make sure you size your wire large enough to prevent that from getting hot. Dunno if you use AWG sizes or not, but a 20A continuous load probably wants at least a #12 AWG wire. That means the wire from the battery source feeding the controller as well as from the controller to the load needs to be 12 AWG since you used diagram #1.

That thing's cute, though. Tiny.
 
Zambezi Special said:
Got my delivery
View attachment 21600
Click to expand...
BTW, a trick I used to keep from breaking the seal on my fermenter with a string or chain was to just put a float in the hops basket to keep the holes in the top from dropping below batch level when I dry hop. My float was a leftover from a GoPro camera attachment kit. Not real sure why, but they have rather large holes in the lid for a basket that's 400 micron screen. Still scratching my head about that. Without the big holes in the lid, wouldn't hurt a thing to just let it sink.
 
I used wire from a 240 volt extension lead.
The wire I wanted to use didn't fit into the connectors.
IMG_20220802_072648.jpg
 
Zambezi Special said:
I used wire from a 240 volt extension lead.
The wire I wanted to use didn't fit into the connectors.
View attachment 21691
Click to expand...
Is that the same unit that @Zambezi Special has? If so, now I see the DC rating on the relay. Maybe I just didn't look close enough at hers. The only issue I can see is if the (pump) motor being used exceeds 20A at 12VDC, that little relay on the board is gonna smoke. If not, then it's a moot point and will likely work just fine.

That isn't a lot of clearance between the 12VDC and 240VAC sources, and would make me just a tad nervous. Just for grins and giggles and less chance of letting the magic blue smoke out of something, I'd probably run pilot relays with 12V coils for better isolation of the device from high voltage. I know the rating is there on the relay, but I also prefer not having 240VAC at my fingertips when testing what's going on with the 12VDC. @Zambezi Special doesn't have that problem since hers is all 12VDC. But, if you want 5 ONLY ways to build a controller, just ask 5 electrical engineers. I'm one that likes overkill to protect things I spend money on, and learned to do things 3 ways. Good, Cheap, or Fast. Pick one, they're mutually exclusive.

What does that use for a temperature probe, RTD or Thermocouple? If it's RTD, it really isn't a big deal to extend it by splicing the wiring. However, if it's just two wires, some accuracy is lost with increased wire length. 3-wire or 4-wire RTDs are industrial standards so that the device can be sensed separately from the excitation. If it's thermocouple, though, every splice becomes a junction which affects the accuracy. Gotta get the right wire to match the thermocouple type, too, which ain't cheap. But how accurate is accurate enough when making beer?

Send me a link for that little critter. I can think of quite a few applications for that.
 
It is indeed my unit :D:D:D
Fridge is less than 20 amp. Been running it for a long time with a 20 amp solar charge control umit.

I've extended the temperature sensor probe cable, or more accurate, a friend of mine did and used sensor cable (he runs and repairs refrigeration units). It got 2 wires.

It doesn't need to be too accurate, just more or less there.
It will be better than what I had (just a cooler box)

I got the little thing of Amazon (the Netherlands). Also saw it on Amazon UK, so quite likely they will have the little gadget at .com as well
https://www.amazon.nl/-/en/dp/B08FD...pd_rd_i=B08FDV18RK&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_rp_5_i
 
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